Hinged closure for petrol tanks



F. E. KRAUSS HINGED CLOSURE FOR PETROL TANKS April 5, 1938.

v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 23, 1936 April 5, 1938. I K A r 2,113,484

HINGED CLOSURE FOR PETROL TANKS FiledApI il 23, 19:56 2' Sheets- Sheet 2Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HINGED CLOSURE FORPETROL TANKS Application April 23, 1936, Serial No. 76,057 In GermanyMay 6, 1935 4 Claims.

The screw closures usually employed for petrol tanks on automobilevehicles have the greatdisadvantage that the screw cap is a loosemember, which is liable to fall off and even to be lost. With snapclosures, which are also usual, there are projecting parts, which giverise to fouling, and which also cannot be adapted to the requisitestream-line formation. Since the projecting parts, such as pawls and thelike, have to be 10 pushed up, both hands are usually required for thepurpose of opening the cap. The projecting parts also give rise to thetearing of gloves when operating the petrol tank. r The object of thepresent invention is to provide a closure which will be free from theaforementioned disadvantages, the closure cap being pivoted to a spring,which bears on the filling neck opposite to the hinge, and under thestress of which the cap snaps on to the neck. The spring may surroundthe filling neck to a greater or less extent, without being secured toit, but it might alternatively be connected fast to the filling neckopposite to the hinge. The opening of the cap is then effected by alight pressure upon its front portion or at the snapping-in point, inopposition to the pressure of the spring. When open,the cap remainsconnected with the filling neck, but admits of being removed therefromby an energetic pull, when it merely embraces the neck. Such a capfurthermore presents the possibility of a construction which iscompletely smooth on the outside, and in which there are no projectingor even sharp-edged parts at all. The cap also presents to the hand asurface which is completely smooth throughout its entire extent.

The closure cap may alternatively be connected with the filling neck bya hinge joint, the hinge pin of which is guided in elongated holes,which extend radially in relation to the filling neck. A spring f. i.placed round the hinge pin tends to push the joint away from the fillingneck and to keep the cap closed.

Several forms of construction of the invention are illustrated by Way ofexample in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows oneexample in longitudinal section, and Figure 2 shows a plan View thereof.

Figure 3 shows another example in longitudinal section, and

Figure 4: is a corresponding plan view.

Figure 5 shows a third constructional example of the hinged closure inlongitudinal section on the line 55 in Figure 6, and

Figure 6 shows a plan of this closure in horizontal section through theouter cover cap.

Figure 7 shows a fourth constructional example in longitudinal section.

Figure 8 is a. partial plan view thereto with horizontal section throughthe Outer cover cap, 5 and Figure 9 shows a fifth constructional form ina partial longitudinal section.

According to Figures 1 and 2, the filling neck I) projecting up from apetrol or like tank a. is completely free, except that it forms asnapping-in lug b in front. The closure cap is pivoted at c to a springclip (1, and comprises in front an element c", which engages underneaththe lug b when the cap is closed. The spring 11, in relation to itscontact atd with the neck b, for its connecting point with the cap 0 atc, has such a stress that the spring tends, when embracing the fillingneck I), to push the cap 0, with its hinge joint 0, away from thefilling neck b. The spring (1 accordingly bears against the filling neckb only with its front ended when the cap 0 is closed. By pressingagainst the joint 0' with the hand upon the cap 0, the spring d yields,and the cap becomes displaced forward to such an extent that the element0' becomes disengaged from the lug b and the cap 0 can be rocked upwardsabout its hinge c.

A packing disc e is mounted on a carrying disc 1, which is preferablyconnected with the cap 0 by a spring g, which produces thecounterpressure for sealing the closure in a fluid-tight manner.

In the example illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the spring d, which inthis case may be a closed ring, is secured to the neck I) at d"underneath the lug b. The action is the same, except that the cap ccannot be pulled off the neck b. The sealing disc 6 is pressed on to theneck by a helical spring 9.

In the constructional example shown in Figures and 6, the cap is in theshape of a stirrup c, and is connected with a covering hood I and withthe filling neck I) by the hinge joint 0'. The eyes I)" of the joint onthe filling neck I) or on the cap stirrup 0 have elongated holes. 1 in adirection transverse to the filling neck 12-. Around the hinge pin 0 isplaced a helical torsion spring k, which bears with one end It frombelow against the cap stirrup 0, and engages with its other end k roundthe edge of the eye b" on the filling neck I). The cap stirrup 0, forthe sake of improving the appearance, is covered by or connected withthe outer hood I, which is made separately, and can therefore be highlypolished and chromium plated.

A hearing wall h, inclined to the axis of the filling nozzle b, ispressed out of the cap stirrup 0. Opposite to it, and in staggeredrelationship thereto, the sealing cap 7, which holds the sealinginsertion c, has a bearing wall likewise pressed out. Between the twoWalls h and f is lodged the closing spring h, which bears against themat its ends.

Finally a tongue 9" may be pressed out of the cap stirrup 0, and mayextend through the spring 71 and the inclined wall f, with theinterposition of a split pin g". The wall ,f is formed with an aperturef for the passage of the tongue g", which allows some clearance to thecap 1 in relation to the stirrup 0. The cap stirrup c has an element cadapted to engage under the lug b of the filling neck b. The spring ishas the efifect of tending to open the closure cap. The spring h ispositioned in the same plane in which the cap is withdrawn and inclinedto the joint 0'. Thereby the spring h has the tension to pull the joint0' away from the neck I), so that the engagement of the element c"underneath the lug 12 becomes operative when the cap is pushed on.

For the opening of the cap it is merely necessary to push ittransversely somewhat away from the filling neck b so that the element0" becomes free from the lug b. The cap then springs up.

In Figures 7 and 8, the spring h" is placed vertical with the action topress down the disc 1 with the packing e upon the filling neck b. Thespring is is drawn with its other curved end It" to the filling neck I)or to its eyes so that this spring has the action to draw away the joint0 from the filling neck b. Therefore the element 0" will engage the lugb when the cap is pushed on. For opening the cap will be pushed with itsjoint 0' to the filling neck I) and opposing the spring is till theelement is disengaged from the lug b. The spring is therefore has thedouble action of tending to open the cap and to draw away the joint 0'from the neck I).

In Figure 9 a separate spring m is inserted to draw away the joint 0from the neck 1). One end m of this spring presses against the joint 0'and the other end m" against the eyes b" of the neck b.

What I claim is:-

1. A hinged closure, more particularly for the petrol tanks of motorcycles, comprising a filling neck on the tank, a closure cap, a hingejoint located outside the filling neck and connecting the closure cap tothe filling neck, at least one element of the hinge joint being movableradially in relation to the filling neck, and the closure cap beingmovable bodily with the movable element of the hinge joint in the samedirection, spring means tending to move the movable element of the hingejoint radially away from the filling neck, a lug on the filling neck atthe side diametrically opposite to the hinge joint, and an engagingelement on the closure cap adapted to bodily, when closed, in adirection perpendicular to the axis of the pivot, 2, lug on the fillingneck at the side diametrically opposite to the hinge joint, an engagingelement on the closure cap adapted to snap past the said lug when the010- sure cap is pushed down, and spring means tending to move theclosure cap bodily, when closed,

parallel to a diameter of the filling neck, in such a direction as todraw the engaging element underneath the lug.

3. A hinged closure, more particularly for the petrol tanks of motorcycles, comprising a filling neck on the tank, a closure cap, a pair ofhinge eyes projecting outwards from the filling neck, a pair of hingeeyes projecting inwards from the closure cap, a hinge pin mounted in oneof these pairs of hinge eyes, the other pair of hinge eyes being formedwith elongated holes through which the hinge pin passes, the elongationof the holes being in a direction parallel to a diameter of the fillingneck, spring means tending to open the closure cap and to move it insuch a direction that the pair of hinge eyes thereon moves radially awayfrom the filling neck, a lug on the filling neck at the sidediametrically opposite to the pairs of hinge eyes, and an engagingelement on the closure cap adapted to engage under the said lug when thecap is pushed down and then allowed to move parallel to a diameter ofthe filling neck under the action of the spring means.

4. A hinged closure, more particularly for the petrol tanks of motorcycles, comprising a filling neck on the tank, a closure cap, a pair ofhinge eyes projecting outwards from the filling neck, a pair of hingeeyes projecting inwards from the closure cap, a hinge pin mounted in oneof these pairs of hinge eyes, the other pair of hinge eyes being formedwith elongated holes through which the hinge pin passes, the elongationof the holes being in a direction parallel to a diameter of the fillingneck, a torsion spring coiled round the hinge pin tending to raise theclosure cap, another spring tending to move the closure cap in such adirection that the pair of hinge eyes thereon moves radially away fromthe filling neck, a lug on the filling neck at the side diametricallyopposite to the pairs of hinge eyes, and an engaging element on theclosure cap adapted to engage under the said lug when the cap is pusheddown and then allowed to move parallel to a diameter of the filling neckunder the action of the spring means.

FRIEDRICH EMIL KRAUSS.

